Odisha’s KG-to-PG free education scheme removes a major financial barrier, but unless education is aligned with skills, employment, and entrepreneurship, can free degrees alone truly deliver prosperity, asks Priyabrat Biswal

Odisha’s announcement of free education from Kindergarten (KG) to Postgraduate (PG) has understandably attracted considerable attention. Under the Gyanodaya – Shiksharu Samruddhi scheme, beginning with the 2026–27 academic session, the state government has announced a waiver of admission and tuition fees for eligible students pursuing regular education in government and aided institutions. Backed by an allocation of ₹5,467 crore over five years and expected to benefit more than 32 lakh students, the initiative is a significant attempt to ensure that poverty does not force students out of education. For low-income families, particularly girls who may otherwise discontinue their studies after school, the financial relief could be substantial.

But there is another question that deserves equal attention: What happens after the free education?

That question matters because the scheme has important exclusions. Professional and technical courses, private unaided institutions, self-financing programmes, teacher education programmes, distance and correspondence education, and courses under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model remain outside its principal ambit. Even eligible students will continue to bear examination and hostel-related expenses. These qualifications do not diminish the value of the initiative, but they do add an important caveat to the much-publicised phrase “KG to PG free education.”

Removing the financial barrier to education is undoubtedly a welcome social measure. Odisha already provides free education up to Class 10, and extending support through Classes 11 and 12 and regular undergraduate and postgraduate education can improve access and retention. But access is only the beginning. The ultimate purpose of education cannot simply be to produce degree-holders; it must be to produce capable, employable and economically independent citizens.

A student may now be able to pursue a B.A., B.Sc., B.Com. or postgraduate degree without paying admission and tuition fees. But if that qualification does not equip the student with skills demanded by the labour market, the government may simply be removing the financial cost of obtaining a degree without addressing the much larger challenge of unemployment and underemployment.

The world of work is changing rapidly. Artificial Intelligence, automation, digitisation, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, healthcare technology, electronics, logistics, data services and the digital economy are transforming virtually every sector. Employers increasingly seek practical competence, technological literacy, problem-solving ability, communication skills, adaptability and demonstrable capabilities — not merely academic certificates.

This is where the policy could have a significant blind spot. If professional and technical education remains outside the principal promise of free education, students from poorer families may still face a financial barrier at precisely the point where education becomes most directly connected to employment. A poor student could obtain a general degree without paying tuition fees, yet struggle to afford a professional, technical or specialised course that might provide a clearer pathway to a job or entrepreneurial opportunity.

In other words, we could end up making degrees free while leaving employability expensive.

This is not an argument against general education. A healthy society needs people educated in the humanities, sciences, commerce, social sciences and research. Education has intellectual, cultural and civic purposes that cannot be reduced to salaries and job placements. But higher education policy cannot remain disconnected from the economic realities confronting young people.

A degree without relevant skills can eventually become little more than a certificate without economic value.

The answer is not to abandon general education but to make it more relevant to a changing economy. Undergraduate education should incorporate employability modules, internships, apprenticeships, digital literacy, communication skills, financial literacy and industry exposure. Colleges should build stronger partnerships with local industries, businesses, startups and emerging sectors. Students pursuing conventional degrees should also have opportunities to acquire credible additional certifications in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, data analysis, coding, cybersecurity, accounting, electronics, healthcare support, renewable energy, logistics and digital marketing.

The principle should be straightforward: a general degree should not mean a general lack of employable skills.

Entrepreneurship deserves equal attention. Education should not train young people only to look for jobs; it should also give them the confidence, knowledge and resources to create jobs. Incubation centres, mentoring, business training, access to credit and market linkages can help transform educated youth from lifelong job-seekers into entrepreneurs and job-creators. A graduate who can identify a local problem, develop a viable solution, use technology and build an enterprise represents a far more powerful form of educational success than one who simply possesses a degree.

The government’s ₹5,467-crore investment should therefore be seen not merely as the cost of making education free, but as an opportunity to rethink Odisha’s entire human-capital strategy. The state deserves credit for recognising that economic hardship should not prevent deserving students from pursuing higher education. But the success of the scheme cannot be measured only by enrolment, fees waived or degrees awarded.

The harder questions are: How many students actually learn? How many acquire relevant skills? How many secure meaningful employment? How many become entrepreneurs? And how many are able to build economically independent lives because of the education they received?

The requirement of a minimum 75 per cent classroom attendance, relaxed to 65 per cent in exceptional circumstances, is a useful feature because it connects public investment with actual participation. But attendance is not learning, and learning is not employability. The real test is what a student can do after completing a course.

Odisha therefore needs to build a genuine education-to-employment and education-to-enterprise ecosystem — connecting classrooms with laboratories, colleges with industries, students with mentors, curricula with emerging technologies and education with economic opportunity.

The ambition should no longer stop at “KG to PG free education.” It should become: “KG to Career-Ready Education.”

That would give Shiksharu Samruddhi — prosperity through education — a deeper meaning. Prosperity does not arrive merely when a student receives a free degree. It arrives when education gives that student the skills to earn, the confidence to innovate, the opportunity to build and the capacity to contribute.

Free education can open the door. Relevant education, skills and employability must show the way forward.

And if Odisha wants its massive investment in education to become an investment in prosperity, the ultimate objective should be clear: Not free degrees alone — but capable citizens, meaningful livelihoods, thriving enterprises and a stronger economy.


(The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website or its management. The author may be reached at: [email protected])